Notes

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Thoughts
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if you've never been to SXSW, you really haven't lived. and if you haven't been to a bloodshot records party at the yard dog during SXSW, you really haven't lived well, IMHO. in 1999 and 2000, at least, these events were very nearly the highlight of those long weekends for me. the beer was free and flowing and the parade of bloodshot artists was a wonder to behold. factor in a bunch of locals and lucky-to-have-found-out-about-it visitors like me, and you had the perfect mix for a party. drunk in austin in the daytime with the waco brothers... well, it doesn't get much better than that. the only other unofficial events that came close (and one could argue were on par with the yard dog parties) were meat purveyor cherilyn dimond's house parties.

anyway, what we have here is a classic slice of waco brothers, loose and furious, with a great crowd. i managed to find a review of this show (though there were only maybe 200 of us there) on the web and have included it below. it confirms what i thought that day and what i think now when i listen back to this recording. we were having a ball - all of us, onstage and off. caliguri's timeline seems off, since my recording begins with 'seminole wind', and i don't think i missed any full songs. but i may have. track 1 fades in from what sounds like the ending of a song, but i think they were just warming up a bit before kicking into the set. but i could be wrong, it was eight years ago and i had had a few of those free beers by the time the wacos started.

anyway, if you like jon langford, you'll love him here. grab an ice cold shiner bock (or pabst blue ribbon...i forget what they were serving that day), crank this up loud, and imagine beatle bob "dancing" wildly in front of you. it's the next best thing to having been there.


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(below from: http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/review?oid=oid:76527)

SXSW Live Shots
Wednesday Night
BY JIM CALIGIURI

Waco Brothers
Yard Dog Gallery, Friday, Mar 17
Late Thursday night, the Waco Brothers' set at Scholz Garten was cut short by a sudden deluge of rain that left both the band and their hearty fans less than satisfied. Jonboy Langford and company more than made up for the interruption the following afternoon at their label Bloodshot's annual backyard gathering at South Congress gallery Yard Dog, with a performance that was frenzied and exhilarating -- ample proof that, on occasion, rock can still possess the ability to affect people in extraordinary ways. Onstage, the Chicago-based Wacos have long been known as a highly energetic, whiskey-fueled experience. Friday's performance, though, was the stuff of legends. A crowd of 200 or so had gathered in the space behind Yard Dog by late afternoon, and interestingly enough, the ages of those in attendance ranged from pre-schoolers to grandmothers, but in the face of music performed with this much soul and enthusiasm, any such distinctions fell away and the scene became a heaving riot. Though the air was damp and chilly under the party tent, the band nearly burned the place down. Performing with the energy of 60 men rather than six, the Wacos drilled through favorites like Neil Young's "Revolution Blues," the traditional country classic "Wreck on the Highway," and "Plenty Tough, Union Made." When the Mekons' Sally Timms joined them for a brisk run-through of John Anderson's "Seminole Wind,"things started to crank into overdrive. Nashville based singer-songwriter Lonesome Bob was called onstage from out of the crowd and his anthemic, "Do You Think About Me?" stirred the ecstatic ensemble even higher. Beatle Bob then appeared next to the band, bopping and shaking amid fits of laughter and feedback. The Wacos tore through "White Lightning" and then into "Folsom Prison Blues" and dancers of all stripes jumped into the uproar on the tiny platform of a stage, seemingly destroying the barrier between band and audience. As the last bits of the tumultuous sound faded away, the crowd picked up the slack, cheering with all their might. A feeling of exhilaration permeated the air, leaving all assembled smiling the knowing smile. They'd been to rock & roll nirvana, and life just couldn't be any better.